Historical Description of Westminster Abbey, Its Monuments and CuriositiesAnonymous
History
Historical Description of Westminster Abbey, Its Monuments and Curiosities
Anonymous
Westminster Abbey
In front of Camden's monument lie the remains of JOHN IRELAND, Dean of
Westminster, and in the same grave those of his friend, WILLIAM GIFFORD, a
distinguished critic, satirist, and dramatic annotator. In private life
Mr. Gifford was modest and unassuming, and amongst the numerous parties,
poetical, political, or religious, none of them ever ventured to
recriminate by attacking the moral character of the Editor of the
Quarterly Review. He was born at Ashburton, in 1757, and died 1826.
ISAAC CASAUBON.--This monument was erected by the learned Dr. Moreton,
Bishop of Durham, to the memory of that profound scholar and critic, whose
name is inscribed upon it, and who, though a native of France, and in his
younger years Royal Library Keeper of Paris, yet was so dissatisfied with
the ceremonial part of the Romish worship, that upon the murder of his
great patron, Henry IV., he willingly quitted his native country, and at
the earnest entreaty of James I., settled in England, where, for uncommon
knowledge, he became the admiration of all men of learning. He died, 1614,
in the fifty-sixth year of his age.
The monument to Casaubon is not without interest to the mind of the
curious, as upon close inspection may be seen the initials and date of
"good old Izaak Walton" (I. W., 1658), Author of "The Complete Angler."
This renowed piscator has somewhere said that he went into Westminster
Abbey to visit the tomb of his departed friend, Casaubon, and while there,
in contemplation before his monument, he ventured to scratch his own
initials and date upon it.
Sir RICHARD COXE, who was taster to Queen Elizabeth and James I., and to
the latter, Steward of the Household; a man commended in his epitaph for
his religion, humanity, chastity, temperance, friendship, beneficence,
charity, vigilance, and self-denial. He was third son of Thomas Coxe, of
Beymonds, in Hertfordshire, and died a bachelor, in the sixty-ninth year
of his age, December 13, 1623.
A small tablet to the memory of JAMES WYAT, Esq., who was architect of
this church, and Surveyor-General of His Majesty's Board of Works.
Departed this life on the 4th day of Sept., 1813.
Above is a monument to Sir JOHN PRINGLE, Bart. The inscription sets forth
that he was Physician to the Army, the Princess of Wales, and their
Majesties; President of the Royal Society. He was born in Scotland, in
April, 1707; and died in London, in January, 1782.
EDWARD WETENHALL, M.D., an eminent Physician, who died August 29, 1733.
His father was Dr. Edward Wetenhall, who was first advanced to the See of
Cork, in Ireland, but was afterwards translated from thence to Kilmore and
Ross. He died November 12, 1713, aged seventy-eight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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